Indoor and Outdoor Pyrethroid Air
Concentrations
Clifford P. Weisel
Contents
1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
2 Regulation of Pyrethroids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
3 Pyrethroids Associated with Agricultural Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230
4 Spray Drift Contribution of Air Concentrations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
5 Outdoor Air Levels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
6 Indoor Air Levels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232
7 Urinary Metabolites of Pyrethroids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238
8 Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240
Abstract Pyrethroids are used throughout the world in agricultural settings and
inside and outside of residences to control pests. This has resulted in their increase in
air concentration leading to inhalation, and to a lesser extent dermal, exposures to
applicators, their families, and the general public. Applicators need to wear appropriate personal protection equipment (PPE) to avoid high exposures during or after
spraying of crops. The various uses of the pyrethroids and pyrethrins are regulated
and education often mandated to minimize potential exposures. Outdoor levels are
predominantly influenced by agricultural applications which can result in drift of the
pesticides to the surrounding residential communities. Drift contributions decrease
with distance from application and depend upon wind conditions, temperature, and
precipitation. Only a limited number of studies have directly measured pyrethroid air
concentrations due to the effort involved. Rather, air concentrations and the resulting
exposure estimates rely on mathematical modeling to predict the transport and
distribution of pyrethroids and on biomarker measurements to determine uptake in
individuals. Urinary metabolites are the most common biomarkers. However, most
of the metabolites are not specific to individual pyrethroids; rather, they provide
C. P. Weisel (*)
Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute, School of Public Health, Rutgers,
The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, USA
e-mail: weisel@eohsi.rutgers.edu
Ethel Eljarrat (ed.), Pyrethroid Insecticides,
Hdb Env Chem (2020) 92: 227–244, DOI 10.1007/698_2019_434,
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020, Published online: 13 March 2020
227
Concentrations
Clifford P. Weisel
Contents
1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
2 Regulation of Pyrethroids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
3 Pyrethroids Associated with Agricultural Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230
4 Spray Drift Contribution of Air Concentrations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
5 Outdoor Air Levels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
6 Indoor Air Levels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232
7 Urinary Metabolites of Pyrethroids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238
8 Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240
Abstract Pyrethroids are used throughout the world in agricultural settings and
inside and outside of residences to control pests. This has resulted in their increase in
air concentration leading to inhalation, and to a lesser extent dermal, exposures to
applicators, their families, and the general public. Applicators need to wear appropriate personal protection equipment (PPE) to avoid high exposures during or after
spraying of crops. The various uses of the pyrethroids and pyrethrins are regulated
and education often mandated to minimize potential exposures. Outdoor levels are
predominantly influenced by agricultural applications which can result in drift of the
pesticides to the surrounding residential communities. Drift contributions decrease
with distance from application and depend upon wind conditions, temperature, and
precipitation. Only a limited number of studies have directly measured pyrethroid air
concentrations due to the effort involved. Rather, air concentrations and the resulting
exposure estimates rely on mathematical modeling to predict the transport and
distribution of pyrethroids and on biomarker measurements to determine uptake in
individuals. Urinary metabolites are the most common biomarkers. However, most
of the metabolites are not specific to individual pyrethroids; rather, they provide
C. P. Weisel (*)
Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute, School of Public Health, Rutgers,
The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, USA
e-mail: weisel@eohsi.rutgers.edu
Ethel Eljarrat (ed.), Pyrethroid Insecticides,
Hdb Env Chem (2020) 92: 227–244, DOI 10.1007/698_2019_434,
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020, Published online: 13 March 2020
227